Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
Reflection: The ‘Our Father” is the simplest and most complete prayer in our Christian faith. When we were baptized, we became children of God worthy to call Him Father. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit to confirm this, not only to ourselves, but to those, that we come in contact with, every single day.
And because we are God’s children, we learn how to be a good father to our children as well as setting the example for our children who will hopefully carry this on to the generations after us.
One of my favorite lines in this prayer, which I have used and continue to use often is, “Give us this day our daily bread”. And when you think that you need more from the world, humble yourself and repeat this over and over again. Especially when you see so many of our brothers and sisters out on the street with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Think about what we can experience every single Sunday in the Eucharist, the body of our Savior Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
We also ask for forgiveness of the wrongs that we do to others while at the same time forgiving others who have wronged us. Asking God to help us be and live the way Jesus did as He walked the earth, delivering us up from evil.
Lastly, we get the chance to strive to create a heaven on earth so that we can see a small glimpse of Our Father’s Kingdom and share it with others.
Action of the Day: Going forward from today try this first thing in the morning. Pray the ‘Our Father’ slowly and honestly, pausing on each line in the prayer, and reflect on how you will use this prayer with everyone you encounter today.
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Reflection:
Linda and I were blessed to visit St Francis’ hometown of Assisi some years back as part of a parish pilgrimage to Cascia, the hometown of our parish’s patron saint, St Rita. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite places I have ever visited. St Francis can definitely be said to be the one who chose “the better part”, as Jesus describes in today’s Gospel story. He gave up a life of wealth and comfort to live as a beggar, longing only to serve the poor, and to try to literally rebuild the church of God.
It’s kind of ironic, actually – when Francis heard the voice of God from the cross at San Damiano say “rebuild my church”, he took it literally. He begged for funds to rebuild the physical church in Assisi, and also built the Porziuncola chapel, which became his favorite place, and where he lived his last days. God was actually decrying the state of the Church as a body, not as a physical building. He was asking Francis to rebuild that Church. And, even though Francis may have misunderstood that, in the end, he did rebuild the Church.
The lesson I would like to close with in this reflection concerns the two kinds of service we see in today’s Gospel: service to God by listening to His word, as we see Mary doing, and actively serving others, which is what Martha was doing. Jesus does not say that we should not actively serve others. Rather, He is pointing out that all active service we do has to come from the heart, and especially from a heart of love for others which we build up by listening to and pondering His word to us.
In our days, may we first settle ourselves before God and listen to His word, and then go out and serve in whatever way He may ask us. Who knows? We may be called to help rebuild His church as St Francis was. If we come from the right priority, God will greatly bless all that we do in His name.
Action for the Day:
You’re already doing it, if you’re reading or listening to this reflection – take some time to ponder God’s word, and what it is saying to you today. Then, look for the opportunity to serve, and do it with love!
If you would like to hear this reflection, click the link below!
Papal Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, Assisi, Umbria, Italy (the location of the Porziuncola)
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Reflection: Here we have the conclusion to the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. First, robbers beat him and left him for dead. Then a priest walked by and ignored him. Now the priest isn’t a bad man in fact he is probably doing good work here on earth, but he is too busy to see the need before him. He turns the “Blind eye”. And then a Levite walked by also ignoring the man who is in dire need of help. The Levite is a very busy man too. Who is trying to survive by providing for his family and juggling work, so he too falls to the need to see and has no vision. Finally, the Samaritan walked by and took care of him with great generosity. The Samaritan was just as busy as the other two men but how was it that he was able to see the need of this beaten man? Well, he had the vision and the ability to see the need to care for this man. He not only addressed the need by giving him a coin, but he also cared for him, took him to the inn, and returned to make sure he was OK. The Good Samaritan truly cared for the man who was broken. Ask yourself, how many times have you had the vision to recognize someone in need? Did you ignore it? Act as though you were too busy and didn’t have time? It makes me wonder how many times did I NOT have the vision to assist somebody?
Interestingly, when Jesus asked the disciples which of these three acted as a neighbor, they didn’t respond “the Samaritan.” Rather, they responded, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Mercy was the key focus.
It is so easy to be judgmental and harsh with one another in our world and culture. If you read the newspapers or listen to the news / media, you can’t help but hear continual judgment and condemnation. Our fallen human nature seems to thrive on being critical of others. We are often tempted to act like the priest and Levite in this story. We are tempted to turn a blind eye to those in need. The key must be to always show mercy and show it in abundance.
Pray upon the call God gives you to show mercy. Mercy, in order to be true mercy, must hurt. It must “hurt” in the sense that it requires you to let go of your pride, selfishness and anger and choose to show love instead. You choose to show love to the point that it hurts. But that hurt is a true source of healing in that it cleanses you of your sin. Saint Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” Mercy is the kind of love that may hurt at first, but in the end leaves only love.
Action of the Day: Pray today that God will grant you the wisdom to see someone in need. Pray that He removes your “Blind Eye”. And pray that he gives you the love and compassion to do what is right in His eyes.
Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to Heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Reflection:
Jesus makes a threefold connection in this passage. He connects you to Him and Himself to the Father. Thus, when you are acting as a true instrument of the Lord, and another either listens to or rejects what you bring to them, then they are either listening to or rejecting not only you but also our Lord and the Father in Heaven.
One thing this reveals is the awesome responsibility we all have to bring the love and mercy of the Father in Heaven to those whom we encounter every day. We are able to be true instruments of God. In making such a strong connection between us, Himself and the Father in Heaven, Jesus is elevating our human dignity to an incredible level.
This passage also reveals the fact that others will act as instruments of God to us. This is important to understand because Jesus is very clear. If someone comes to us, acts in Christ’s name, and we reject that person, then we are actually rejecting the Father in Heaven. This should lead us to pause and be seriously attentive to the way in which we treat others. We must especially be aware of the fact that others have great potential to be instruments of God to us. The Lord speaks through them in numerous ways.
Action of the Day:
Reflect upon the great gift it is to act as an instrument of the Father in Heaven. This is a sacred duty and a profound privilege we cannot take lightly. Look also for ways that the Father speaks to you through others. When He speaks, give Him your full attention and be grateful for those who act as these instruments of God’s love.
Lord, I thank You for the honor and privilege of serving as an instrument of Your holy voice. May I always seek to embrace this calling with faith and sincerity. May I also be open to every way that You speak to me through others. Give me the humility I need to listen to Your voice through them. Jesus, I trust in You.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him.” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Reflection: This scripture has always intrigued me. Don’t you wonder what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree? Perhaps taking a nap, praying, or just daydreaming. And, just before this passage, Phillip told Nathanael they had found “The Messiah” and it was Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth. His response was “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” So why did Jesus choose him to be one of His first followers? The apparent reason comes from what Jesus says about Nathanael, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.”
The word duplicity makes me think of two contemporary sayings. The first is “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” And “Let your no mean no and your yes mean yes.” As a child we lack the moral cunning to be duplicitous. Children are honest until they learn the art of deception in order to get what they want. As we grow, we continue to develop our abilities to deceive when our best interest is at stake. When a babysitter asks, “Do your parents let you do that?” the response is usually an emphatic but untrue “YES!” As an adult we can manufacture and conjure multiple rationalizations to justify an action or behavior we know to be harmful to us and or others.
Since the beginning of time God has know who we are. His son Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows each of us by name and with the intimacy that is only present in a deep and passionate love. When Jesus calls us by name, like he did His apostles, and we recognize and respond to His call we can experience a conversion that is life changing. The light of Salvation makes all things visible including our sin. When we seek Him in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist our capacity for duplicity is replaced by a sincere desire to follow Christ. We probably all know what it feels like to be filled with grace when we are in the presence of God. What better antidote is there to the deception that is so prevalent in our lives and in this world.
God has never required us to be perfect. He desires fidelity to our relationship with Him and each other.
Action of the Day: Throughout today see if you can forsee places in your life where you struggle to say what you mean and mean what you say. Ask for the grace you need to be honest but not cruel, sincere but not judgemental, loving but not selfish. This could be the begenning of a new chapter where we are able to see the greater things that Jesus has in store for us.
